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SOLD OUT: AMAKHOSI TO FACE MARAUDING SUNDOWNS IN MUCH-ANTICIPATED BETWAY CLASH
By Sports Reporter
The “sold-out” sign was up weeks before the much-anticipated Betway Premiership clash between high-riding Mamelodi Sundowns and a somewhat limping Kaizer Chiefs pencilled for Saturday afternoon at the Atteridgeville stadium in Pretoria.
So much overwhelming interest in this league encounter that one wonders if the Lucas Moripe stadium is the ideal venue for such a cracker of a game, where the Amakhosi are not expected to crumble but bring a halt, even temporarily, to the galloping Sundowns train seem headed for a sixth straight consecutive win of the coveted league title.
It could be the Amakhosi players are well-rested following an enforced break from action due to the postponement of their league match against Royal AM which was scheduled for last Saturday in Pietermaritzburg, they are still smarting from the 2-1 loss when the teams met in the first round fixture earlier in the season.
They also met in the Carling Black Label Knockout.
There will be a lot to fight for in this important match with three valuable points on the line. Amakhosi are in 7th position on the log with 25 points after 18 matches. The Brazilians, on the other hand, sit at the top of the standings with 48 points in 18 games.
Chiefs will be without Gaston Sirino in this match after he picked up a red card in Amakhosi’s last match, against SuperSport United.
What brings some relief to Amakhosi coach, Nasreddine is to have Edmilson Dove available for this weekend’s Betway Premiership blockbuster against Mamelodi Sundowns, with the Mozambique international fully recovered from injury.
Nabi has been unable to utilise the experienced defender all season so far, after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during the Club’s pre-season training camp in Turkiye and was forced to return home early to undergo reconstructive surgery.
The 31-year-old is relieved that his ordeal is finally over and cannot wait to return to the pitch to serve Amakhosi’s cause in the second half of the season.
Notwithstanding Masandawana’s handy lead at the top of the league, a fixture between these two giants of domestic football always produces a buzz of excitement among their respective fan bases, which Dove attributes to, “a desire to win every match we play. We will count the points up at the end of the season but right now the focus is on performing well for our fans against a good team and hopefully getting a positive result.”
While it would take a minor miracle for Amakhosi to win the Betway Premiership title this season, they are through to the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup and have a realistic chance of finishing high enough in the league table to qualify for CAF competition in 2025/26. For Dove and his teammates, the incentive to lift a trophy and secure a place in continental competition is driving them to perform at their peak week in and week out.
The Amakhosi faithful will attend the game in large numbers, as usual, and Dove declares that the players and staff desperately want to reward them with a performance and result to celebrate.
